Butterfly in the Sky
by eostby
Summary: George Weasley is facing the rest of his life with a part of him missing. Can he find his missing piece in one of the last places he expects? For the Fanon Pairings Competition. Prompts were butterflies, blue, comb, and "He's not coming back, George."


**A/N: As always, the Potterverse is JK Rowling's. And I am so grateful she allows us to enjoy her characters in our own ways.**

"He's not coming back, George."

The moping redhead raised his eyes, to see a blonde vision of beauty staring at him in the mirror. The blue comb glided gracefully through her hair as she observed its progress before turning her eyes back to George Weasley.

"Trust me, he wouldn't want you to sit here doing nothing. Though the pain of his death is heavily weighing on you now, in time it will fade, and you'll only remember the good times with him. It was the same way with my mother," said Luna Lovegood lightly. "And I turned out perfectly normal."

George, whose head had returned to his hands at the mention of his twin's death, again raised his eyes to the mirror, to find Luna had stopped brushing to observe his reaction. As her lips were twitching, and her eyes sparkling, George knew they were both thinking the same thing: no one would accuse either of these two of being "perfectly normal" any day of the week.

After their brief moment of mirth, they settled into a comfortable silence as Luna's comb finished running through her hair and George cleared up the red blotchy parts of his face. Luna was content to stay quiet and observe, and George was grateful for some unburdened companionship. While other people had come to see George and make sure he was all right, or as close as could be expected given what had occurred, no one had made him feel as at ease as Luna. He wasn't sure what exactly, but something about having the lithe blonde around just made living a little easier.

"Are you ready to go, George?"

"One more moment, please, Luna."

"Certainly, George. I'll be right outside the door if you need me."

As Luna left the room, George pulled out a black stone he'd found on the Hogwarts grounds during the cleanup from the battle. Once she was outside and closed the door, George turned the stone over three times while thinking of Fred, as the tale had told.

"Hello, holey one."

"It's good to see you again, Gred."

"You know, I never believed these things were real until Ron mentioned the cloak that first time."

"Who would have guessed that we were partners with the future Master of Death himself?"

"Not I. But that's not what I'm here to talk about, is it?"

"Straight to the point, then?"

"Limited time, remember."

"Right. Well, I'm about to go tell a bunch of people stories about you, and wondered if you had any favorites for me to share."

"I'd recommend victory over the toad in our last year, and any of your favorites from Quidditch training. But we both know that's not really why I'm here, Georgie boy," said Fred. "You've developed an acute case of hole-in-the-heart, and you need some closure."

George was stunned into silence at his twin's remarkably accurate analysis of the situation.

"Look, I'll make this quick, because as good as it is to see you again, neither of us is truly enjoying this," said Fred rapidly. "The message I've got for you is butterflies. I was told you'd eventually figure out what it means. Now, go knock them….well, dead seems off here, so just make them laugh. I'll be watching."

As Fred faded back to the world beyond, George stared at the spot he was vacating. "Butterflies, you say?" mused George. "Couldn't have given me anything more helpful, I suppose?"

A knock on the door broke the brief, contemplative silence. "Are you ready now, George?" queried Luna quietly. George straightened his robes one final time in the mirror, and strode across the room to the door.

"Thank you for waiting, Luna," said George as the pair began descending the steps of the Burrow. "It means a lot to me right now."

Luna turned to George with the most solemn and serious expression he could recall her ever displaying. "If anyone in Ottery St. Catchpole understands grief and having a part of yourself torn away, it is me and my father, George Weasley," said Luna. "We had only your family to rely upon in our time of sorrow, and I consider this my small part in returning that kindness."

Finally, Luna and George joined the group gathered around the final resting place of Fred Weasley. It was a small group: just the remaining Weasleys, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Xenophilius Lovegood, Lee Jordan, and Angelina Johnson. Luna stayed next to George while everyone around the circle said a few words in tribute to Fred, a time filled with many laughs, and many tears as well.

As the group prepared to break apart, Luna pulled out her wand. "I have heard some Muggle traditions conclude events like this by releasing something to the sky, in tribute to those passed on. If no one minds, I would like to do so for Fred." Seeing no objections, she cast. "Papilio Examine!"

Into the sky suddenly shot a swarm of bright red and orange butterflies. They circled over the casket briefly, before heading towards the setting sun on the horizon. After a few moments of being in awe, the funeral-goers began Apparating away from the Burrow. Luna whispered something to her father, who nodded before leaving. She came back over to where George was staring at his twin's headstone. Gently taking his arm, she led him towards where the Rookery had once stood.

George had recognized almost immediately where Luna was walking, but didn't understand why until they reached a weathered looking piece of stone in what was the yard behind the former Lovegood home. Luna released George's arm and knelt by her mother's grave.

"Hello, mummy," said Luna softly. "I've brought one of my very good friends along to say hello this evening. He's just said goodbye to one of his brothers, and I hoped you would help me comfort him. You remember George Weasley, don't you?"

The wind whistled lightly through the surrounding hills as Luna continued telling her mother about the ceremony, and eventually George began helping her recount some of the stories told about Fred by those who knew him best. Finally, Luna kissed the headstone, got to her feet with help from George, and led him back towards the Burrow.

"Thank you for sharing that with me, Luna," said George.

"It was no trouble at all, George," said Luna. "As I told mummy, you need comfort just as I did."

George nodded. "Say, I haven't eaten dinner yet, and I need to get back to Diagon tonight to check on the shop. Would you mind joining me for a bite at the Cauldron, Luna?" George then blushed, hoping he hadn't been too forward.

Luna smiled at him. "That sounds lovely, George. I was wondering how I was going to get back to where my father and I were staying, and had completely forgotten about food. I believe you've offered the perfect solution to my dilemma. Shall we?"

George returned her bright smile. "We shall." He took Luna's hand and dual-Apparated them away.


End file.
